G-rain-separator



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL DECAMP, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

GRAIN-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,471, dated January 27, 1857.

1lb all whom it may concern.`

Be it known that I, MICHAEL DECAMP, of South Bend, in the county of St.Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain- Separators; and I hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a machine. Fig. 2 aside view and Fig. 3 a vertical section in the lilies A B. Fig. Ll is ahorizontal section in the line C, D, of Fig. 3.

The letters of reference indicate the same parts in the differentfigures whenever they occur.

The machine is constructed as follows: A frame (13) contains a scouringmill D, the corrugated casing of which (17) rests upon the bed piece 14.A vertical shaft (b) .passing up through the center of the casingsustains the grated scouring beaters 16, the shaft is held in positionby resting in a step in the cross piece 21 and by its bearing at itsupper end in the support 5. The shaft passes through a hole somewhatlarger than the shaft itself, in the top piece of the frame, and theresustains a horizontal disk 10 which is provided with levers both aboveand below forming a double fan or blower which is surrounded by a casingof a spiral form in its horizontal plane, the walls of which graduallyreceding from the aXis of the shaft, leaves the space between the casingand the fan widest atthe outlet. Immediately above and communicatingwith the fan is an air chamber or conductor (11) through which the shaft6, also passes. A pulley (7) is fixed to the upper end of the shaft toreceive a band from the motive power employed and thereby communicate arapid revolving motion to the shaft.

Above the air conductor 11, is placed t-he grain separator C; itconsists of an outer casing subdivided into fiues and chambers as willbe presently described. At the side of the casing is a hopper 1 for theadmission of the grain to be cleaned. Immediately below this is a wiregauze grating for the admission of a current of air. The hopper 1, opensinto a flue which passes up to the top of the machine and curves over,discharging itself into a central chamber (25) made for the recept-ionof cheat, light grain, &c. The bottom of this chamber is inclined towardthe front of the machine and has a swinging door (4) through which thecontents of the chamber can be discharged. From the chamber 25, rise twoother flues, one on each side of the flue (22) first described, whichalso bend over and pass down upon each side of the chamber 25respectively and opening into the conductor 11. From the bottom of theflue 22, descends a spout (20) opening into the interior of the scouringmill. A gathering hopper (18) is placed under the outlet of the scouringmill, having a circular screw (15) for the admission of air into themill. The outlet of this hopper leads into a tube (19) open at thebottom and extending upward to the top of the flue` 22, for the purposeof separating and carrying off any dust that may have escaped theprevious operation. A door regulates the supply of air to the separator.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The shaft being put in rapidmotion, the fan (divided into two parts by the disk 10) creates a vacuumbot-h above and below the disk by expelling the air through one commonoutlet 12. The air rushes in with force through the indraft screen 2, tosupply the vacuum above the disk, meet-ing the grain which is fed in atthe hopper 1. The

sound heavy grain descends through the spout 2O into the scouring millD, where it is subjected to the action of the beater 16, but the lightgrain, dust, &c., are carried up by the current of air through the flue22, into the chamber 25, the current here dividing and passing into thef'lues 23 and 24 is so much diminished in strength that the light graincheat &c., will fall into the chamber 25 while the dust chaff &c., iscarried up, and through the flues 23 and 24 to the fan whence it isdischarged into another apartment or into the open air. The strength ofthe draft to effect this last separation can be regulated with greatnicety by the door 3. Another strong current of air enters the scouringmill at the bottom `through the screen 15 to supply the vacuum at theunderside of the disk. It passes up through the mill carrying up thesmut, and dust which has been disengaged from the wheat by the processof heating, discharging through the fan into the common outlet 12. Thespiral form of the fan case in its horizontal section, enables me tooperate the machine with much less power than would motive power wouldbe required to operate the fan.

Having thus fully described my improvements, what- I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The combinationof the flue 22 with the flues 23 and 24 and chamber 25, constructed andarranged as herein described for the purpose of separating, light grain,cheat &c., from the still lighter substances by dividing the current ofair.

2. I do not claim two fans upon the same shaft separated from each otherby a fixed partition, but what I claim is the construction of the fan,by combining with a disk attached to a rotating shaft, leaves, fixedupon each sideof the disk as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribing witnesses.

MICHAEL DECAMP.

Vitnesses:

CHAs. EVERETT, JOHN S. HoLLINGsHEAD.

